If the Titanium X sells for 21,495 GBP and the ST will have a base price of 24,000 GBP, expect the ST to start at $27K here.

This obviously just speculation, but with a base price of $27k I'm not buying it. GTI starts at $24k, MS3 can be had for 25k without negotiating, $27k is Mustang GT territory, and the WRX starts just under $26k. Yes, these are apples to oranges comparisons, but at the end of the day the Focus ST has a lot of pretty good competitors that sell for less.

I'm going to guess it starts at $25k in order to be competitive. At this price point it's (just barely) within my reach, and a lot of other people in the target demographic will be able to afford it as well.